Improvement in training hop-vines



ETH

BENJAMIN C. ROGERS, OF STOOKBRIDGIL'VERMONT.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRAINING HOP-VINES.

Specilioation forming part of Letters Patent N0. 55, R63, dated May 29,v 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN C. ROGERS,

ot' Stockbridge, in the county of Windsor and of vines, and particularly hop-vines, whilev growing, I employ two series of stakes or poles, those ol' one series being longer than those of the other-that is to say, the longer poles may each be about ten feet in length and each of the shorter ones be about seven feet long.

I divide the ground into squares whose sides may each be about six feet in length. Next I arrange a row of the longer stakes or poles in a straight line on one side ot' the ground and at the outer angles of the rst row of squares. Next I arrange parallel to such row and at the other angles ot' the squares a row of the shorter stakes with their tops about three feet below those of the longer stakes. In this way I continue to arrange the stakes so as to bring each row ofthe shorter ones between two rows of the longer ones, the rows when viewed at right angles presenting the longer and shorter stakes as arranged alternately.

In the drawing, A A A, Ste., are the longer stakes or poles B B B, etc., the shorter ones.

I next fasten common twine or any convenient cord or its equivalent to the head of each ofthe longer stakes of the first row, and from thence continue it and fasten it to the head of the next stake of the second or shorter row, and after having fastened the twine thereto I continue it upward and fasten it to the head of the next stake ofthe next longer row. In this way I continue throughout the ground, the same being as shown at O O O, te., in the drawing.

Next, to each row of the longer posts I apply two other lines or twines, E F, and in such manner that each shall go diagonally from post to post, and from the head of one down to a dist-ance ot' about three feet from that of the next one, thence upward to the head ot' the next one. One line I arrange on one side of its range ot' posts and the other line I dispose on the opposite side of such range, the two lines, like the diagonals of a rectangle, crossing one another between each two consecutive parts, the whole being as represented in the drawing.

I have found by experience that a hop-vine will not run or grow ou an [inclination nearer to the horizontal than about one foot rise to two feet base.

Each of the stakes is to be supposed to be set in a hill or at av spot where one or more vines are planted. As I have found by experience that two vines run together better than one will if alone, l set in the hills two vines for each string ascending from the stake set in such hill. After these vines may have grown and run up the stake to the strings ascending therefrom, I train two of them to pass up one string and the other two to pass up the other string. v

The advantages o i' my mode of training vines as applied to hopvines may be thus enumerated: It prevents the vines from being destroyed by bleeding,77 as in gathering the hops the vines are to be cut at the tops of the stakes, or by breaking off the front arms, thus avoiding the necessity of cutting the vines close to the ground, which often is very detrimental to them. The hops will ripen earlier than by the common mode of training by poles alone, the arrangement of the cords or strings enabling the sun to shine on the vines to better advantage.

My arrangement is more economical than the common one, as it essentially lessens the amount of poles or stakes required. The stakes used may be much smaller than those ordinarily employed, and may be split or sawed from large timber, thus preventing destruction of young trees, as is usual, in order to obtain those of the requisite length. The twine used costs very little in comparison .to the quantity of poles required for supporting a like amount of vines to that which the twines will sustain. Besides a larger yield and better quality of hops will be obtained by my Inode The arrangement of" stakes and lines, subof training as the wind cannot Whip off' the stanti-ally as hereinbefore described, and als front arms, as it can when the vines are wholly represented by the accompanying' drawings. supported by lon g poles, and as the hops ripen BENJAMIN C. ROGERS.

earlier, they are not so long exposed to vermin Witnesses: and rust. DAVID EVERETT,

I claim as my invention- CHARLES BROWN. 

